Football in Eskishier
Trip Start
Aug 25, 2008
1
14
15
Trip End
Aug 25, 2009
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Eskisehir,
Turkey
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Two days after Christmas, it was time to go and check out Eskishier. It would be about a 6 hour bus ride with 40 Turkish speaking teammates. It began much as I expected it to: rowdy laughter, beer drinking, and jokes I could not understand. Little by little, I began to grow accustomed to hearing the tones of their speech and recognizing what was supposed to be a joke, and what was just a comment. Also, I complained enough after the first hour that they threw in just enough English to keep me satisfied. We managed to stop four times during that 6 hour drive so that the bus driver and teem could smoke cigarettes. This I found most amusing. A bus full of athletes that could not go more than 2 hours without a nicotine fix.
We arrived in the city of Eskishier around 2:30am and checked into our rooms and fell asleep quickly. We had to be back up at 8 to eat breakfast and get to the Field by 11. Breakfast was good. It was buffet style, composed mostly of cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, hard boiled eggs, and lots of fruits. Luckily, I was able to find some Nescafe; the closest thing to American coffee in Turkey.
The game lasted from 12:00pm until 5pm and it was snowing/raining for most of it. The game was very back and forth, but at halftime we were ahead by 6 points. After halftime we scored three successive touchdowns to seal our victory. Everyone was thoroughly excited and frozen all at once. Back on the bus, one of the players suggested that we go to a hamam (Turkish bath) to warm up before dinner. Everyone agreed that this was the best idea, perhaps in the history of mankind. I had never been to a hamam so I was not quite sure what to expect. When you walk in you have to give up your shoes for a pair of rubber sandals and proceed to the changing room. There, you change out of your clothes into a thin checked cloth called a "pestemal" which I was told to keep on at all times as it is bad form to flash.
Next, wearing my checkered miniskirt, I followed the team into a room that had a pool in the middle which was a little bigger than the average living room, surrounded by marble benches with fountains every 4 feet or so. The room was very steamy and off in the corner I noticed a very large man being scrubbed by a teenage boy with a giant lufa. I opted for the marble bench. It was a little homo-erotic with 30 of your teammates splashing and laughing and throwing buckets of hot water on you, but hey; when in Turkey... The water could be adjusted through two taps, and the hot water was very very hot. After washing with the complimentary bar of soap, I decided I was ready for the big pool. This hamam happened to be one of the few natural spring hamam in Eskishies, so the water was a few degrees warmer than average. I would put it about 10 degrees warmer than the average hot tub. It took about 20 minutes for me to become accustomed to the heat, but after that, it was the most relaxing thing I have done in a long time. The pool was about five feet deep with benches all around the sides. The benches were raised up enough so that when you sat down your head was just above the water. It was fantastic. All of the cold creeps out of your body, your muscles relax, and happiness ensues. After around an hour, we had to leave. Apparently you can pass out if you stay in too long. Personally, I could think of few better ways to die, but I was hungry so we left. Dinner was back at the motel; Iskendar Kebop, a thinly sliced beef flavored with tomato sauce and served with soup, bread, and yogurt. It was another great meal that I had never tried before. Everyone was so relaxed I think we were all asleep 20 minuted into the bus ride home.
